SOUL FOR SALE
by Eva Spaceship
Summary: After the Joker was sent to Arkham, he got the chance to create new bubbly friends. This is how he met Dr. Harleen Quinzel.
1. The Audition

CHAPTER ONE

THE AUDITION

* * *

Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack;

The sound of her new high heels echoed through the hallways of the most dreadful place that a Gotham citizen could get sent to. Although there were shouts, screams, moans and cries, all that she could hear was the sound of her high heels; her brand new, shiny black high heels.

Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack…

Two guards walked in front of her, like they were her own personal body guards, making sure that nobody nor anything would hurt her. They did make her feel safe, but, somehow, she didn't feel nervous or fearful about that important meeting she was about to have. Was it a bad thing to not feel nervous, or was it just a sign of how confident she actually was?

Click, clack, click, clack, click, clack;

While passing by the many locked doors, each one attributed with its own number, the woman dared taking a peek through the small window that showed what the patient on the other side was doing. Some of them screamed and waved their arms, like they were arguing with the walls of their cells, others sat on a corner, hugging their legs in an attempt to keep themselves from shaking, but the one patient she was about to meet didn't seem to have any of those 'insane' behaviours.

Click, clack, click…

Her feet finally stopped walking while the two awfully muscled guards did the same. The room she was about to go into had no number on its door or a mad psychopath inside; at least not yet. Once one of the guards opened the door, the female's eyes widened slightly. It looked rather simple and empty…emptier than she expected. It contained an old dark green chair that, despite looking worn out, also looked very comfortable, there was another chair, which allowed her future patient to just lie down and speak his mind out.

The other objects in that small room were hardly worth mentioning. There was a small desk on the corner, nothing on top of it, a small painting of a peaceful field on one of the walls, and stripped wallpaper with a dark yellow colour that just gave a cheesier look to the room. Both of her hands held her small notebook tightly. It was worse than she ever imagined…

"…cuse me?"

Both of her blue eyes widened slightly as she turned her head in the taller guard's direction. He had a frustrated look on his face, like he had been calling her for a long time now. "I'm sorry, Dr…" His eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't remember her name. The doctor cleared her throat, both arms pressing her notebook against her chest while she tried to focus on the man in front of her. "…Quinzel. Dr. Harleen Quinzel."

"Quinzel? That's a funny name, isn't it?"

The guard showed a friendly smile at her, like they were mere friends having a small chat. But if he knew the number of times Harleen had heard that sentence before, maybe he would have decided to keep his mouth shut. Dr. Quinzel tried to show an equally friendly smile…but it came out wrong. It made her look like a sarcastic know-it-all; and she didn't want to look like that. Did she?

"Yes it is…But I'm not a very funny person."

That last sentence made the man release a small chuckle; at least her voice didn't play any tricks on her. "Dr. Quinzel, we're just going to get your patient. Take all the time you need to settle down, okay?" He was a nice guy. She could see that. The way how he spoke and looked her in the eye…he was trying to make a connection with her; trying to be friendly. Harleen gave a small nod accompanied by another small smile and as soon as the two guards began walking, back into the corridor full of mad men, she closed the door behind her and gave a long sigh.

She should be nervous. As a doctor, that session was one of the biggest things that had ever happened to her. Harleen didn't even know how she'd got her hands on that opportunity. Why wasn't she nervous then? Why didn't her legs shake or her hands sweat like it had happened on her first session ever? Harleen calmly sat on the dark green chair, crossed her leg over the other and placed her notebook on her lap, looking down at it with a serious expression. She held a blue pen on her hand and quickly wrote with gentle and beautiful letters "_Session number one"_. A couple of seconds passed by before Harleen decided to write down the name of her patient.

"_The Joker"_

Both of her blue eyes blinked slowly, while staring with a proud smile at that name. She'd never been in a session with a big fish like him. That was the man that tried to turn an entire city inside out; the man who almost killed The Batman. A man who was described as a psychotic clown with no limits or rules what so ever. And yet, Harleen acted like he was just another patient…That was good.

Right?

The door of the room suddenly opened, making Dr. Quinzel's head swirl, her blond hair almost hitting her in the eye. The two guards, who looked so friendly at first sight, now showed serious expressions, their chins sticking out, reminding her of pouting children. But her eyes quickly focused on the third man who stood between them, both hands cuffed as well as his feet. He wore the orange uniform that every other madman wore in Arkham and the guards held his thin arms tightly. But what called Harleen's attention was none of those things…

It was his face; his scarred face. She'd seen him on the news many times before, always wearing heavy make-up and that extravagant suit…But now he was only a couple of meters away from her; and even if his face had no make-up at all, it still looked like he was smiling at her. Harleen's hands held her notebook tightly when facing that weird character. His hair had a strange light green colour that looked worn out…Harleen supposed that Arkham's people had tried to wash the green colour of his hair…but it never came out; at least not totally.

Then his small eyes were surrounded by a dark shade, like he had been hit by two heavy fists on both eyes. But, once again, Dr. Harleen guessed that they had tried to clean his face, removing all the make-up…but that black shade had been used on his eyes many times before, it got used to his skin, and refused to disappear. His eyes seemed to gaze at her for a minute, making Dr. Quinzel force a small smile to appear. They examined her from head to toe, but both eyes seemed to quickly loose interest. Harleen furrowed her eyebrows slightly. Was he disappointed about his new Doctor?

Her head shook lightly while she chuckled to herself. That didn't matter! How absurd; for a second she thought she was worried about the opinion of a mad clown. The two guards almost dragged the man through the room, forcibly sitting him on the other chair. The way how their hands grabbed his arms made Harleen's eyes narrow slightly; she was now sure that the many bruises on his arms were made by brute guards…she'd have to take note of that. The two guards gave a small nod at her before leaving the room.

Harleen had already been informed that the two would be guarding that door all the time, and that there was a panic button under the small desk next to her that would alert both of the guards if her patient ever proved to be aggressive. Once the door of the room closed, Dr. Quinzel finally felt the shiver of nervousness running down her spine. He was just sitting there, staring at her with a blank expression, like he was trying to see through her.

Both dark eyes seemed to never blink, which made Dr. Quinzel feel slightly uncomfortable. It was so hard to tell if he was angry or happy. Although he carried a serious expression, his lips just kept on smiling at Harleen… She had to calm down or her head would pop. Her eyes looked down while taking a small but very deep breath. It was show time.

"Good morning Mr. Joker…" The green haired man slowly blinked his eyes, giving a small sigh, his elbows resting on his legs while both hands held each other. His body language showed that he wasn't trying to avoid a conversation. That was a good sign. "Good morning, Doctor _Quinzel_." She didn't like the way he spoke her name. It sounded like he was mocking her…mocking her because of her weird last name, like she had been mocked most of her life.

Harleen's blue eyes never stopped staring at him. She did feel like her throat had gone dry and like, any minute now, she'd just stand up and walk out of the session; but instead she showed a small warm smile.

"I'd just like to start out by saying that my…my main concern here is your well-being. I may be your Doctor, but in the near future, I'd… also like to become your friend…" His eyebrows arched slightly while a few yellow teeth showed and, soon, a disturbing little chuckle escaped from his mouth. Harleen's eyes widened slightly while she sat straight on her chair, the handcuffed clown in front of her now letting his head fall back while he laughed quietly.

"…And I thought I was the joker here."

He said while focusing his eyes on the woman once again, both eyebrows arched at his doctor. Harleen's blond eyebrows furrowed while her right hand held her pen tight, at least he was communicating, right? But what was that supposed to mean? Dr. Quinzel cleared her throat while taking a few hairs away from her face. Professional, she had to keep professional. "You don't believe I want to become your friend?"

Every word came out of her red lips in a serious and calm way. But the clown didn't answer right away. He lied down on his chair, giving a small sigh of relief, like he was finally starting to feel comfortable. His cuffed hands rested on his chest and he crossed his leg over the other, the cuffs on his ankles made him release a small sound that showed how disturbed they made him feel. Only after that did he look back at his doctor narrowing his eyes a bit, like he was thinking hard about her question.

"No, not really."

The Joker answered while shaking his head and shrugging both shoulders a bit. "Why is that?" Her voice was calm and serious once again, her pen ready to take notes any second now. The madman licked his dry lips, turning his head in the woman's direction. "Listen, it's nothing personal, Doc." His voice seemed strangely worn out and serious, but his expression seemed to mock her once again. It was the very same expression that her first boyfriend used when breaking up with her. "You look like a nice kid. Not to mention you're more _voluptuous_ than the other seven psychiatrists that came before you. They didn't find my jokes very funny either..."

Harleen's pen wrote fluently, her eyes glimpsing at her patient every now and a then while writing down what he said. This was good. He was quite open. Although she didn't like the _voluptuous_ part, he did not avoid her questions or the subject; he simply answered. "All of them gave me the 'I'm your friend' speech, Doc. Every single one of them." Her blond eyebrows frowned slightly. Did he say seven psychiatrists? "But all of them seemed to become rather unfriendly once I tried to poke their eyes out with their writing pens..."

Harleen's hand stopped writing; her blue eyes were now wide open while staring at her notebook.

Seven. Seven came before her...and nobody had told her that. Could The Joker have killed all of them, or did they quit before he had the chance? Many questions came up, but Harleen's chain of thoughts would be interrupted when realizing that her patient no longer sat on the chair in front of her. Before she could do or say anything The Joker had already snatched the pen from her hands and pointed it at her left eye. A moment of silence came up between the two characters now...Stupid. How could she have been so stupid?!

The doctor's hands were shaking like mad. She had nothing to hold on to now. Her notebook lied between her feet and her pen was being used as a weapon against her; she was defenceless. There was fear written all over her face, but The Joker couldn't help to show a small yellow smirk. "What do you think of this level of proximity, Doctor Quinzel?" Both of her blue eyes were wide open, and all her red lips were able to mumble was "Please don't…"

The Joker licked the corners of his lips while calmly gazing at his very frightened doctor. "You wanna know how I got these scars?" He asked while pointing at them with one of his free hands' fingers. Harleen wasn't really in the mood for stories but she really had no choice. Her blue eyes looked away from the clown's whose face was only a few centimetres away from hers. If only she could reach the panic button under that desk…

"Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you."

His hand grabbed her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him once again. "I once had…a baby brother." He began, taking a small sigh when saying the last word of that sentence. "I used to make fun of him all the time. Always playing pranks on him, mocking him…anything that I could joke with…" Harleen's eyes narrowed slightly. The clown paused every now and a then and looked up, like he was seeking inspiration…Could it be that he was making that story up? "Anyway, my baby brother didn't understand my jokes…And he didn't find them funny either."

The Joker's hand seemed to hold her face tighter, making the doctor's heart beat faster, her blue eyes shifting from her patient to the desk where the panic button was. "…One night, while I was sleeping, my baby brother comes into my room and sticks a scissor inside my mouth." The pen his hand held pressed against the corner of Harleen's mouth. Her eyes widened; but she wasn't sure if that was the fear she felt for the man or the curiosity she felt about the Joker's story.

"He says "Laugh at my face now, bro!" and then…" He paused while showing a large smile at the Doctor. "…Then he slashed my cheeks open without mercy. He didn't even blink. When my parents run into the room, they find him covered in blood while I punched and kicked him with all my strengths…Heh, it didn't make me look good. They sent _me_ to an Asylum." His expression seemed to show a mix of agony and anger while he said that. "Me! I was the one forced to pass seven years, locked up in a room, surrounded by people who called me insane…!"

He paused, his face softening a little. "But it's like they say…Smile, and the world will smile back at you."

The Joker laughed at his own joke while Harleen felt a shiver running down her back, but this time, she didn't look away. Once the green haired man stopped laughing his eyebrows seemed to furrow slightly. Quinzel was frightened…terribly frightened. But she was also terribly touched by that story. The doctor didn't try to hide how she pitied her patient…but that only made the clown criminal more confused. "Aw, what's with the long face Doc.?" The Joker finally said after observing her for a few seconds.

"…Let's put a smile on that face…"

Once he placed the pen inside Harleen's mouth, the blond decided that it was time to react; to think; to just…do something! With a quick move, her leg kicked the man's stomach, making him move away from her, dropping the blue pen on the floor. Harleen's heart seemed to be in her throat now. For a second she just stood there, staring at The Joker who now tried to stand up straight…The button!

The Doctor quickly ran in the table's direction, but one of her heels broke, making her land on her knees. The clown man was already up, walking in her direction…she wasn't going to make it. Her arm stretched in the desk's direction and her fingers desperately searched for a button under it. Suddenly she felt it…and once she found it her fingers pressed it full of panic, making the red light outside of the room blink countless times.

The door of the room opened violently and Harleen's head swirled in the mad man's direction, expecting him to use her as a human shield or hurt her…But what Dr. Quinzel saw left her rather confused. The Joker simply stood there, staring at her, serious and calm while the two guards violently grabbed his arms and threw him against the wall. "Oh, Steven, you're such a beast!" He said before bursting out laughing. One of the guards seemed to get quite irritated and threw the clown against the floor, which only made him laugh more. "Be quiet you freak!"

Harleen watched the entire scene, her naked knees pressing against the floor and her blond hair covering half of her face, a mix of fear and panic made her gasp for hair, like she had been running for a long time. While on the floor, Dr. Quinzel tried to take the hair away from her face, her arms still shaking while watching the guards call for enforcements.

But, while being pressed against the floor, the clown criminal was able to turn his head on his Doctor's direction. "If it serves of any consolation, Doc.," Both of Harleen's blue eyes stared at him terrified, expecting some kind of threat or curse. "…You passed the audition." Wait, what? Harleen's frightened expression slowly turned into a puzzled one. Soon, two nurses appeared one of them quickly placed her arm around Harleen's waist, helping her get up while the other one carried some kind of injection with her.

"Let's go, sweetie. You don't want to see this."

The nurse said while taking Dr. Quinzel out of that room. The blond peeked over her shoulder when hearing The Joker's hysterical laughter, but the door had already been closed behind them. Harleen Quinzel furrowed her eyebrows and looked down. Her high heels no longer made that harmonious sound. They were now a broken instrument, a guitar that missed a string…But now it was a word that echoed inside Harleen's head…

"Audition?"


	2. The Handshake

CHAPTER TWO

THE HAND SHAKE

* * *

"…_Friday Night and the lights are low, looking out for a place to go…"_

Harleen's eyes lazily blinked while drinking her morning coffee, the only thing that seemed to encourage her to get out of bed. Nothing besides that warm drink made her get up. Not even the cheerful music that echoed through her apartment seemed to cheer up the female psychiatrist like that cup of coffee.

"…_Where they play the right music, getting in the swing, you come in to look for a king…"_

Especially after that session with her patient. Both hands seemed to hold the cup tighter when remembering how a pen had almost been used to scar her face forever. And they held it even tighter when remembering that mad man's words. _"…You passed the audition."_ Harleen frowned slightly. Audition...was that what he thought that was? Did he think he was the one who was questioning and examining her?

"_...Anybody could be that guy, n__ight is young and the music's high…"_

Could it be that he thought that session was an opportunity to test her? Dr. Quinzel wasn't sure. That meeting of hers with The Joker had been two weeks ago and, until a few days ago, she didn't think she'd go back to that dreadful asylum. But a huge curiosity began to invade her mind…Perhaps that man was dangerous, but he was interesting. She was curious, and she needed to know more. To know what he meant, what he wanted…

"…_With a bit of rock music, everything is fine, you're in the mood for a dance, and when you get the chance…"_

…what he wanted from her. The woman took another sip of her coffee and then placed it in the kitchen's sink, almost running into her room to get some clothes on. Something told her that that mad patient of hers had something planned for her. Maybe she was just imagining things, or maybe she was just being paranoid…but she really wanted to know. It wasn't just business anymore, now it was also personal.

"_You are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only sev—"_

A quick hand turned off the radio right before swiftly grabbing a long dark blue coat. Harleen was going to prove everyone how a great psychiatrist. She was going to do what nobody ever seemed capable of; she was going to understand what was going on inside The Joker's head.

* * *

When arriving to Arkham, everyone seemed to receive her with open arms and nervous smiles, like she was some kind of hero that had arrived to save the day…Or like she was some kind of human sacrifice to an angry God. Either way, she'd soon be walking down the same old corridors, filled with insane men, bumping with their heads against the walls. But this time Harleen only looked forward, uninterested about all the other patients of that place.

What she was really interested about was that clown.

"For a moment there we thought that you weren't coming back, Dr. Quinzel." The guard who had spoken to her on the first day said while peeking over his shoulder to look at the blond woman. Harleen quickly showed a small smile chuckling under her breath. "For a moment…so did I." Although none of them said anything else, both seemed to hold those smiles until reaching the place where Harleen would be meeting her patient once again...

Unlike the first time, she did feel quite nervous, even before opening the door, she felt like her knees were shaking. What would stop The Joker from trying to kill or hurt her again? Her blond eyebrows furrowed. Now that she thought of it, he should hold some kind of grudge against her now. Arkham's guards were not known for being kind or gentle.

They were known for beating the leaving crap out of those who refused to behave. And those who weren't afraid to get a few bruises or afraid to laugh at the guard's faces…well, those were the ones who got the strongest punches. It wasn't a good idea to go into that second session. Maybe Harleen would never leave that room again…maybe if she did leave the room she'd be as insane as that clown…

But, for some odd reason, she held the door knob tightly and entered the room, completely ignoring the two guards who now stared at a closed door. Both of them gave a small sigh, turned around and cracked their knuckles while walking through the corridors full of insanity. It was time for them to catch a clown.

The blond haired doctor simply stood there for a few seconds, staring at the small room…it was so strange to be there again. It looked the same way it did before, smelled the same way…why shouldn't the thing that happened before repeat itself? The more Harleen thought about it the more she felt like running away…but another part, the curious one, forced her to walk forward and sit on her comfortable dark green chair.

Dr. Quinzel took a deep breath, trying to gain forces. She could do this.

Once the door of the room opened, Harleen gave a small jump, quickly sitting straight on her chair, both hands grabbing the arms of her chair tightly. She thought she'd got used to the clown man's scarred face…but it seemed to shock her every single time. Damn it. The Joker was not handcuffed this time; instead he was stuck in a tight straightjacket…Harleen hated those things. But she did safer now. She waited for the green haired man's uninterested glance, but instead he seemed to greet her with a large yellow smile.

It left Dr. Quinzel quite confused. Should she smile back? Should she frown? While she thought about this, the guards sat the clown on his chair. But the one who spoke to Harleen glared at The Joker for a moment. "Try anything funny, and I swear I'll break you in two." The clown's answer was a mere eyebrow waggle fallowed by a small chuckle. The guard frowned and quickly left the room with his partner, leaving Harleen and The Joker alone once again.

The blond woman simply stared at the smiling man. She couldn't think of a 'normal' way to start this session. Not after what happened last time. "Well, hello there, Dr. Quinzel." He said, almost making it sound like he was happy to see her. Harleen furrowed her eyebrows slightly and answered with a calm and emotionless "Hello". She still didn't like the way he pronounced her name.

The man in the straightjacket titled his head slightly to the side while sitting straight on his chair. "I gotta tell you Doc., I didn't think I'd see you ever again after that little episode of ours…" He said, rolling his eyes when mentioning the last few words. Harleen narrowed her eyes for a moment, trying to understand what that clown was thinking. While crossing both of her arms, Harleen showed a serious expression that made her look like a true professional.

"Well, I did come back. And I hope we can forget about that previous meeting and start over…I do wish to help you, Mr. Joker." She hadn't snapped at him or showed her nervousness, which was good! That was really good. And, for Harleen's surprise, the clown nodded in agreement.

"You're right Doc. Let's put that behind our backs and have a fresh new start."

Harleen's blue eyes shined in a mix of happiness and surprise; the clown man actually seemed to mean it. Oh, it made Dr. Quinzel so happy to hear that. But once she understood she was smiling widely and that her patient was staring at her with an amused expression, Harleen quickly coughed and forced that serious expression of hers back up. She couldn't let him try to take advantage of her.

"…I'm…I'm happy to know that we feel the same way, Mr. Joker." She did want to forget about that last meeting…but she also wanted to know what that "audition" thing was all about. What did it mean? Why had he said that to her? But could she ask about that matter now that they'd both agreed to just forget about it? "After all…" The man's voice caught Harleen's attention once again, making both of her eyes widen slightly.

"…I wanna help you to, Doc."

That caught Quinzel by surprise, making it impossible for her to hide the confusion she felt. What was this clown saying…? "Help me?" She repeated while her beautiful face frowned. It made her quite angry to think that that man,_ that man_ who was stuck inside a straightjacket, was trying to take 'control' of the situation. She couldn't let that happen. "Whatever makes you think that I need **your** help?" Every single word was spoken with anger. Harleen was starting to be unable to hold her emotions. She tried to keep professional, but that clown just kept pushing…

The Joker seemed indifferent about her obvious frustration. He gave a small smirk while trying to move his arms inside that tight jacket of his; trying to find a more comfortable position. "Well…" He began in a calm and articulated manner. "...One doesn't need to be very smart to figure you out, Doc." He paused while licking his dry lips once again, his dark eyes never looking away from his now very intrigued doctor.

"You're that kind of woman who'd rather stay at home, watching chick flicks instead of going out at night. The kind of woman whose friends describe as independent and simple in order to avoid the words 'anti-social' and 'boring'. You're just like half of the women out there…" He paused while sitting on the hedge of his seat. "…But there's more to you than meets the eye, Doctor Quinzel." Harleen's wide open blue eyes stared at The Joker, not blinking even once.

"You _hate_ when things don't go according to plan, and you can't stand not having control. And when things do not work out the way you want, you do what most people can't do; **you improvise**. You forget about your beliefs and morals and you just do whatever it takes to put things back on their right track. But in order to that, you sometimes just have to go _crazy_."

The Joker paused while waggling his eyebrows, calmly resting his back against the wall behind him.

"The sad fact is that apart from those moments when you just loose your marbles, you're a dull, corny and average blond, unable to really connect with anyone besides the characters of those chick flicks you love so much…"

The green haired man's smile seemed to grow wider, a few yellow teeth showed while he arched his eyebrows at his psychiatrist. Harleen's eyes simply stared at him in disbelief. How was this possible? How was it possible that an insane criminal who wore cheap suits and terrible make-up could know so much about her?

"…That's why you need my help Doc." His voice was strangely serious and deep now, making Harleen look down at the floor, afraid that if she looked back at him he'd see right through her. "We need to explore that wild side of yours, you know? Try bringing the _funny_ Doctor Quinzel out." The blond gazed at the clown for a second. His smile seemed warm and friendly for a second…for a moment it felt like he really could help her.

For a moment she forgot about who was the doctor and who was the patient.

"What about the audition?"

Her mouth spoke the words quickly. She didn't bother about thinking or reflecting on how to ask that question discreetly. If he was being so direct, then she didn't need to try being sensitive or careful…right? The Joker arched his eyebrows, like he wasn't sure what the woman was talking about. But the surprised expression slowly melted into an amused one.

"I thought we'd decided not to talk about our previous session, Dr. Quinzel."

Harleen furrowed her eyebrows slightly, both of her slim hands grabbing each other tightly. She had to have control again. She needed to know what was going on inside that mad man's head.

"…I'm merely curious."

The Joker grinned once again. If he wasn't in that straightjacket, Harleen was sure he'd be rubbing his hands in delight. Was she the one taking control, or was it the other way around? "For a moment there I really thought about killing you Doc." Harleen felt a shiver down her spine. The Joker smiled. "You seemed like all the others. Just…uninteresting. But then, I saw that small spark of yours."

Harleen titled her head slightly to the side, curious about where that conversation was going. "I looked into your eyes and saw…potential. Loads of potential. With a little polish and a few scrubs here and there, you could become as interesting and good as me, Doc." He said while arching one of his eyebrows, trying to make an arrogant expression. Quinzel chuckled under her breath.

"I'm sorry Mr. Joker…but I don't think you're as good as you think you are. After all…"

Harleen smiled, one of her own eyebrows arching at her patient. "You're the one wearing the straightjacket here." A moment of silence came up between the two. It felt good to say that. It made her feel superior to that criminal. But Harleen's smile slowly faded away when noticing that the clown was the one who smiled widely now.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that Doc." Even if he was smiling a small hint of anger seemed to shine in his eyes. It made Doctor Quinzel feel nervous. "…After all, it's just a phase." The blond furrowed her eyebrows once again. It was impossible to intimidate him. Or better yet; it was impossible to have control over that character. And that made her quite upset.

"This session is over."

She quickly got up from her seat, a small frown on her face while she walked on the door's direction, both of her hands closed into fists. When she was about to grab the door knob, the clown's voice spoke. "Hope to see you next week, Dr. Quinzel."

Her head peeked over her shoulder to look at the clown, a frustrated look on her face. Did he enjoy making her this…this insecure? "I'd shake your hand…but as you can see…I'm kind of tied up." And then he laughed. Even if it looked like he was laughing at his joke, Harleen knew…

She knew he was laughing at _her_.

She quickly opened the door of the room, leaving it open so the guards could get in and drag Mr. Joker back to his cell. The doctor furrowed her eyebrows while walking through the corridors, she felt like breaking, punching, destroying something. That man was impossible to read…which made him a true challenge.

Harleen knew she could do this. She could take control.

She could play and win this little game of his.


	3. The Uniform

CHAPTER THREE

THE UNIFORM

* * *

What was up with that guy?

What the fuck was up with him?

Harleen's slim hands threw ice cold water at her face making her gasp for air and let her head hang from her neck, letting a few cold drops of water fall from her face and hit against her sink.

Better yet, what was _wrong_ with him? He didn't behave like a mad man.

Mad men usually made mistakes, usually lost their confidence, usually…

Didn't see through their doctors so easily.

Two cold hands massaged the sides of Harleen's head, a huge head ache suddenly coming up. All that fuss because of one little manipulative and mad clown.

When she got that job, she knew it would be no picnic. She knew that it would be hard to deal with him. But this…this was beyond what she had ever dealt with. That man's actions and thoughts seemed to make sense…They didn't sound insane.

If he was sane, then those sessions had no objective.

Unless…

Harleen stared at the mirror in front of her, her face pale as a ghost while a second theory came up to her head.

…Unless she was the one going insane.

The blond shook her head, a small smile showing up on her face.

What was she thinking? Insane? Her?!

How ridiculous.

Harleen calmly walked out of her bathroom grabbing her long coat and putting it on while walking in the door's direction. That little game with the Joker had just begun and she was already chickening out?

"Seriously, Harley, put yourself together."

She began to sound like a teenager on her prom night.

Too nervous to go and too curious to stay at home. Her heart actually seemed to beat faster every time she thought about the session that awaited her. But she had to…she had to show that man who was the boss there.

And, after dressing her coat up and glancing at her apartment one last time, she left, and drove in direction to Arkham; her own personal hellhole.

* * *

There she was; walking through the hallways of insanity once again, hearing and seeing strangers bumping with their heads against the walls, walking in circles...all of those men seemed terribly uninteresting.

Comparing to The Joker they were nothing. All of them were mere flies while the Joker was a…a…well…something much bigger.

She wasn't trying to flatter the clown. After all, she was talking about madness. Merely making a statement, that's all.

But it was truth.

Nobody in that place intrigued her more than the Joker.

"_Hush, little baby, don't say a word, Daddy's gonna buy you a mocking bird…"_

Harley frowned slightly when hearing a lullaby echoing through the Asylum. Suddenly all the screaming and protesting seemed to slowly fade away and that song was all that Harleen heard.

Doctor Quinzel ceased walking; making the two guards stop a few meters away from her, when noticing Harleen was no longer fallowing them.

Greg and Steven; those were their names. Harleen couldn't really tell which one was Greg and which one was Steven, but the one who usually talked to her did say while titling his head slightly to the side "Ms. Quinzel?".

"_But if that mockingbird won't sing, Daddy's gonna break the birdy's wing…"_

The Doctor's body seemed to have frozen on the spot. While many would think that she was disturbed by the twisted lullaby's lyrics, it wasn't the song itself that made her stop walking. It was the voice singing it.

That awfully familiar voice...Where had Harleen heard it before?

"_Now the mockingbird can't fly, so I'll take a needle and poke its eye…"_

Harleen's head slowly peeked over her shoulder, like she was trying to see the one was singing that song. But of course, there was nobody else in that corridor beside her and the two guards.

"Ms. Quinzel, what's wrong?"

For a moment Harleen wished that those two guards could just disappear into thin air. She didn't care about them. All she cared about now was that voice.

For a moment she didn't think about her session, her patient or even the little game they had been playing since their first meeting. All she cared about was…

"_Now the little bird can't see, so I went ahead and broke its knee…"_

"That voice...!"

Harley said before she began running in the opposite direction of the room where she usually had her sessions. Her blue eyes examined every door and the patient behind it, searching for the one who sang that strange lullaby.

The guards quickly began running after her, both of them calling out her name in an attempt to catch her attention. But she didn't care about them…She didn't give a flying fart about them!

"_My little baby's __feeling sad, because his mockingbird is now dead…"_

"!" The guards shouted, making Harleen frown.

Suddenly Harleen saw him. She finally found her singer. Her blue eyes widened when staring through the window of the door, focusing on the slim man who sat down on the floor, smiling while he sang.

"_Daddy will take away your pain, just have to---" _

The man inside the white room suddenly stared back at her, his equally blue eyes seemed to be filled with surprise when seeing her face.

The doctor's pale hand quickly pressed against the door's window while a mixture of panic and confusion filled her pretty blue eyes.

"Harley?" The man said while slowly getting up from the floor, stepping closer to the door and narrowing his eyes, like he was trying to see better.

Harleen Quinzel's mouth opened, like she wanted to say something, but her tongue seemed to be stuck and her throat had became dry.

His head titled to the side while observing her face. They had both changed so much since their last meeting…

And now that she found him they were separated by a mere door.

The two guards finally stopped running when finding the Doctor staring at one of Arkham's patients and both sighed in relief while glancing at each other.

"Ms. Quinzel what are you…" The guard stopped talking once he looked inside the room. He showed a small grin and placed one of his hands on his hip when noticing who that patient was.

"Oh, I see you've found Jonathan Crane, Ms. Quinzel. He's almost as famous as your other patient, you know?"

Her lower lip seemed to tremble at that sight. At the sight of that man…

That old friend…

She looked down at the floor, trying to force a small smile up. But her lips simply couldn't do it.

"N-No. I…I didn't know that…"

* * *

The clock on Harleen's wrist ticked in an obsessive way, louder than usual, like it was trying to catch the woman's attention.

Like it was trying to tell her that her session had begun fifteen minutes ago and that she hadn't said a single word to her patient yet.

The Joker simply sat there, still doomed to wear that white straightjacket whenever he had a session with Doctor Harleen Quinzel. One of his eyebrows arched at the silent doctor and he couldn't help but to twitch his nose at the fact that he was…being ignored.

"…Why so blue, Doc.?" He finally asked, deciding that he was sick of all that silence. But Harleen simply bitted her lip, her hands closing into fists when thinking about her friend, Jonathan, closed in a place like that, wearing those clothes…

Wearing the uniform of a mad man…

It just didn't seem to fit. Jonathan had always been such a calm and intelligent man. He'd always been so supportive and sensitive and…

Harleen's hand covered her mouth while she stared at the floor.

How could a man like him end up in a straightjacket? How could he end up like the patient sitting in front of her? Her eyes finally looked up at the clown who looked back at her with a rather bored expression.

"I'd like to try something different today, Mr. Joker."

She said, completely ignoring the clown man's question. The Joker seemed to slowly show his yellow teeth at his doctor like he was reading her again. "…Hmm…Don't tell me, don't tell me…is it your family? Having problems with momma and papa, Dr. Quinzel?"

The blond ignored him and simply opened her bag taking a few cards with black stains on them. Stains that always reminded her patients of a person, an object or a certain time in their lives. "I want you to look at these cards and tell me what you see." But she never took the time to look at them herself. Never took the time to really _see_ them.

The green haired man licked his lips and chuckled under his breath. "Oh, the Rorschach test…I _love_ that." The way he pronounced the word 'love' made a small shiver run down Harleen's spine. It sounded so…perverted.

She knew he was only speaking about the cards and not about a person…but the way he said that…It sounded…dirty. It didn't matter. Harley stretched her arms showing the first card at her patient who titled his head slightly to the side.

"What do you see?"

The Joker first examined the card, then he stared at Harleen and smiled in a devious way, making the woman's eyebrows furrow slightly. "A bald monkey dressed up as a business man carrying a shotgun and a bottle of whiskey." Quinzel's eyes narrowed. Was he making fun of her?

"A monkey." She repeated in a sarcastic tone, placing the card on her lap. The clown grinned and gave a small nod. "Yup." He said, making a funny noise with his lips. Harleen frowned but ended up showing an angry smile and grabbing the next card. "Ok. What about this one?" She asked, holding a different card in front of her.

"A baby girl turned inside out with her lungs being eaten away by flies."

The clown didn't even look at the card, and he didn't try to make it seem like he did. He was just staring at her with a serious expression. Which made Harleen quite frustrated. Her hands grabbed the card tightly and quickly threw it against the floor. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She shouted the first two words, but her voice quickly calmed down.

The Joker arched an eyebrow. "Oh my. Better watch your language Doctor Quinzel." Harleen was sick and tired of that attitude. She stood up, making all the cards fall on the floor. "What do you want, huh? What is it that you want from me?" She was angry now. She thought that that could make The Joker back down a little.

But it only made him more excited and determined.

"I just wanna know what's making little doctor Quinzel so cranky."

Harleen's hands shook. She wanted to strangle that man. To make him understand that she could do whatever she wanted to him. To make him see that she was the one in control. Not _him_! But she couldn't…she had to keep calm. That clown was just pushing her buttons trying to see what made her tick. Harleen had to take a deep breath and endure all that madness. But as soon as she filled her lungs with air, The Joker decided to make another comment.

"Oh, I see what this is all about; it's a guy, isn't it?"

Both blue eyes widened and her head quickly turned in his direction. _"Oh no."_ He was doing it again. The bastard was looking right through her once again. Harley knew it! That small smirk of his showed how delighted he was for digging out the dirt. For poking and twisting her mind. But Harleen wouldn't let him take control. Not this time! The blond quickly walked in the man's direction, every inch of her body motivated to beat the crap out of the clown.

"Shut up, shut up, SHUT UP!"

And, before she knew it, Harleen was grabbing his straight jacket's collar with both hands. The blood on her veins seemed to have been replaced by energetic and violent rage that made her heart beat at an amazing speed. It made her feel like she really could anything. Yet, her anger made the clown smirk. "I'm sick and tired of this little game of yours! Stop making a fool out of me or I swear you'll be sorry!" The way she spoke the words was amazingly confident and serious.

The Joker laughed softly and licked the corners of his lips while staring at the Doctor's angry blue eyes. "Hmm…Getting a little physical, aren't we, Dr. Quinzel?" He didn't seem to try get away from her grasp or avoid her; instead he seemed to get his face closer to hers, like he was about to tell her some sort of secret. "I like that." He whispered right after licking his lips again.

And all of a sudden, Harley felt like her cheeks were turning red. She had never been this close to her patient. Not since that first session of their when he was about to poke her eyes out. She could smell his skin…that soft aroma of cheap soap and even cheaper shampoo, for some reason, made Harleen's grasp loosen up quite a bit. What was that chill she felt on her spine all of a sudden?

"I'm warning you…You have no idea what I'm capable of."

Her voice shook slightly at the end, but she still had that furious expression on her face. The Joker grinned and refused to blink, like he was a kid watching his favourite show, afraid to miss any bit of it. "Oh, but I want to know, Dr. Quinzel…I want to see what your limits are…" He gave a small chuckle. "…And break them." The way he said that sentence made it sound like it gave him pleasure.

Like the idea of breaking limits and creating chaos inside one's head turned him on…

Why did this make Harleen blush all of a sudden? Before she could think about that, her hand quickly punched The Joker's cheek, making the clown fall to his right, landing on the soft chair where he sat. The blond woman breathed heavily, her fist aching from the impact like a thousand ants were walking over her hand. She thought that would teach him a lesson; that that would make him quiet down.

But he just laughed at her face.

"Haha, you won't ever get your boyfriend back like that!"

And he laughed aloud. Like this was some sort of joke. Like Harleen was a joke. Her hands closed into fists once again, ready to punch him senseless…but instead memories of the afternoons she used to spend with Jonathan came to her head. Memories of how they'd have long talks at the café and how they always returned home all by themselves. How he was such a beautiful and intelligent man back then…

"Shut up you…y-you a-asshole…"

And suddenly, she was crying. Harleen couldn't take it anymore. It was all just too much. She sat down on her chair and covered both of her eyes with her cold hands, gasping and snorting every now and a then, too stressed and nostalgic to fight back. "Y-You…Y-Y-You don't…Don't know anything a-a-about me…" She said between her constant sobbing.

The Joker's smile seemed to vanish and instead he arched one of his eyebrows, staring at the Doctor with a surprised expression. He gave a small sigh while rolling his eyes, but Harleen didn't notice or care about that. She didn't care about anything right now. She just wanted to vanish into thin air, to be spared from all this madness that ruled her life. The Joker calmly got up, and walked up to the crying Doctor, standing in front of her for a few seconds.

Harley did notice him now; and she did try to calm her sobbing, tried to put herself together; but she just couldn't do it. She refused to look up at her mad patient, fearing that he'd laugh at her crying. "What? Show's over already?" Harleen kept on crying, her hands covering her entire face now, avoiding the man's eyes. "Well, that was rather disappointing." The Joker said, his eyebrows furrowing together in dissatisfaction. But Harley just kept on rubbing her eyes and snorting every now and a then.

"And here I was, hoping you'd beat me to death, punch a wall, break something…just do something unexpected!" The clown paused and looked down at Dr. Quinzel. He licked his lips while bending his legs, like trying to get down to her level, and once his head was more or less at the same height hers was, he rolled his eyes. Her hands were wet like she'd been washing them on a river!

"You need to work on your little performance, Doc. I mean…you can't just burst out crying. Not when we're getting to the good part!"

Quinzel seemed to have calmed down a bit. There were no more tears, but she still needed to gasp for air every now and a then. Without uncovering her face she took a deep breath and said: "G-Get out of h-here." The green haired man arched one eyebrow at his doctor and shrugged his shoulders.

"Well…I would…But it's kind of hard to spin a door knob with my teeth."

Harleen suddenly arched her eyebrows and looked up at her patient, her hands no longer covering her now red eyes.

A moment of silence came up between the two while they stared at each other. Slowly The Joker began to show all of his yellow teeth and soon he'd be laughing hysterically at his own joke. The sound of his laughter was disturbing to most. It wasn't soft or cute, nor funny nor silly. It was terrifying. Truly the laugh of a madman that caused chills on the spines of many.

But Harleen didn't feel any chills. No, she didn't feel any of that.

Instead she showed a large white smile and would soon be laughing to.

She laughed without holding back nor worrying about what the guards standing outside could think of that entire racket. She just wanted, _needed, _to laugh_._ Soon Harleen's hands would be covering her aching stomach. The image of The Joker trying to open the door with his mouth, for some odd reason, seemed hilarious.

Without Harleen noticing, for the first time, she and The Joker seemed to consent on something. They were both laughing out loud at the same thing. Or so it seemed. Harley should know that The Joker always had a spare cards hidden in his sleeves. But she didn't care. Not right now. She just needed to get her mind off of things. To just laugh. To just feel happy.

To forget about everything.

The asylum, the guards, the session, the responsibility she had, the problems she had to deal with…She just wanted to have fun and to keep all of those things away from her head.

Even poor Jonathan who was still stuck inside that cell and inside that uniform…The uniform he shared with The Joker…

That uniform of a madman.

* * *

_Alright, so I didn't make any comments yet, have I? __First of all, thank you MK08 and sanmi for reviewing my story! With you two it was much easier to write this third chapter. And I'd also like to apologize for taking so long writing it. School can really be a pain. Anyway, thank you very very very very much! Hope you keep reading. :-)_


	4. The Scarecrow

CHAPTER FOUR

THE SCARECROW

* * *

Harleen sat on the usual dark green chair holding the Rorschach cards between her hands. Her thumbs were gently stroking the square cards like they were living creatures, asking for her attention. It wouldn't take long now. Soon her patient would enter through that door.

Her blue eyes blinked a couple of times while staring at the strange spots on the card on the top of the small pile. Harleen had never looked at them with much attention. She'd glanced at them with lack of interest or focus, but now that she was emerged in the silence of that room, all that she could turn her attention to were those little black stains.

Her blond eyebrows furrowed slightly, like she was trying hard to focus on those symmetric forms. Like she really wanted to see something. At first there were only black spots. Just staring at those shapeless things made Harleen feel silly. What was she trying to do? What would she get out from that?

And then something seemed to slowly show up. Like a flower that slowly bloomed in front of Harley's eyes. It bloomed just for her. But the result wasn't beautiful or delicate. Instead, the stains of ink seemed to become scary and violent. The shape made the doctor's eyes widen slightly in surprise.

It reminded her of a scarecrow.

She frowned slightly while looking away from the card. She'd have to study the symbolism behind that object after that meeting of hers. After giving a small sigh the blond checked her watch. Where were they? It had only been a few minutes since she sat on that chair…but it felt like she had been there for hours. Harleen was actually…excited about that session.

Before she felt like it was an obligation to sit in that room and talk to the clown man, trying to make him understand that she was the one in charge…but now she felt something else; a certain anxiety to be with that strange criminal and to understand him. The woman's eyes gazed at the door. Where were they?

The door suddenly swung open making a loud noise when hitting against the wall. Harleen jumped out of her chair in surprise and stood while staring at her patient laughing hysterically while being dragged by the two guards who kept telling him to shut up. Her eyebrows furrowed while her pretty blue eyes tried to understand what was going on. The Joker kicked the air and laughed loudly, making the back of her neck freeze.

"Ms. Quinzel…Ms. Harleen Quinzel!"

Her eyes focused on the guard that tried to catch her attention. He'd shouted out her full name…that caused a small chill to run down Harley's spine. She hadn't been called 'Ms. Harleen Quinzel' since she'd left high school. The clown seemed to laugh even more hysterically after hearing Quinzel's full name which made the doctor narrow her eyes in embarrassment. "Ms. Quinzel, I think you should have this session later…" The guard advised before one of Joker's feet kicked his chin, making him give a few steps back while the clown laughed at him.

The blond could see the guard's eyebrows furrowing and his fists closing. He was going to punch him…to hurt him like so many times before. While he mumbled at the clown and grabbed his straightjacket's collar, Harleen quickly gave a step back and said a loud and confident. "NO."

The entire room seemed to freeze. Even The Joker's laughter seemed to turn into a mere large smile while he focused on his Doctor. Harleen cleared her throat and showed that serious and cold expression that she was able to put on so many times. "No. I believe that I can control Mr. Joker without the help of any fists. Unlike you to I prefer to use my brain instead of my muscles." Her voice was amazingly calm and serious…but she could see by the looks on the two men's faces that they weren't very satisfied with her answer. "Very well." And after saying that, they both left, slamming the door behind them.

Harleen widened her eyes. What had she just said? Had she just offended the two men who were there to protect her? Had she just tried to defend that violent and deranged man? "I think you just cut off their balls, Doc…Nice going!" He said chuckling under his breath while he sat straight on his chair. The blond glared at her patient for an instance before sitting down, a small sigh escaping from her lips. What on earth was she thinking? "They shouldn't treat you like that." She said, trying to ease her mind. It was truth. They were working in an Asylum…they should know that most of the people in there are sick. They should know that they couldn't bully patients around.

"…Do they…hurt you? Frequently that is…"

Her voice was almost a whisper, and she seemed to be unable to look him in the eye. But The Joker simply smiled at her, titling his head to the side. "I think you already know the answer for that question, Doc." She did know. But she wanted to hear it from him. To know how he felt about it…if she could help him in anyway…why was she feeling so sympathetic for him all of a sudden? "Stevey loves serving his knuckle sandwiches to me every now and a then…but don't worry your little head about that. Pain is a joke that I can always laugh at." Her eyebrows furrowed. How could he say that?

How could he be so…comfortable with that situation? How could he be so used to that? "You shouldn't have to put up with this Mr. Joker. If you…" The clown suddenly interrupted her with a strange sound he made with his throat, almost like a forced cough. "Well, look who's talking. If I remember correctly, last time I saw you, you were the one whose fist ran into my face…" Her face seemed to turn slightly red. It was a mix of embarrassment and anger…to remember how she'd lost control on their last session made her want to dig a hole and hide her head in it. But before she could say anything, The Joker spoke once again.

"Oh, and Dr. Quinzel…please, call me Joker. The word 'Mister' makes me feel so old. The word mister leaves a sour taste in my throat…like I've been forced to swallow some old man's socks!" He said before chuckling under his breath. Harley paused while examining her patient's face. That was a good sign! It meant they were connecting! The doctor felt like her heart had jumped a beat once he finished that sentence. It was like he was forgiving her…forgiving her previous mindless behaviour! She was so happy about that development that she forgot about how she once wanted to have her hands wrapped around that man's neck.

"Very well…Joker. Even if you're considered a criminal, you have your rights. I understand if you want to file a complaint about my behaviour. But despite your previous acts, you shouldn't have to suffer this kind of punishment from anyone." She said, her eyes trying to avoid his. The clown man shook his head while chuckling with delight at his doctor. "Punishment?" He repeated, laughing right afterwards. "You got it all wrong, Doc.!" He sat on the edge of his seat, closer to his doctor, like he was about to tell her a secret.

"I think violence is rather exciting."

His eyebrows waggled at her, making Harleen furrow hers. Exciting? Perhaps he had some sort of fetish about physical violence. Could that be the reason why he had that obsession over the Batman? Was that the reason why he was always trying to make her loose her head? Because he knew she'd hurt him? Because it turned him on? Her eyes widened for a moment, making Harleen stare at her patient with embarrassment. No, that couldn't be it. God, what was she thinking?! The Joker did notice how her cheeks seemed to turn into a pinkish colour, and a small devious grin seemed to come up. A grin Harleen didn't notice due to the sudden feeling of 'uncomfortableness' that invaded her.

"Yes…well…I…I'd like to try the Rorschach test once again…"

She said while her hands clumsily grabbed one of the stained cards, trying to pretend that her eyes were too busy examining it instead of looking at her patient. She held one between her hands, showing it to The Joker who gazed at it with an uninterested look. "What do you see?" She asked while forcing herself to look at his eyes. The clown looked back at her and smiled. "So your name is Harleen Quinzel…" Oh boy. Her eyebrows arched and her eyes blinked more then they needed to. She'd hoped he'd forgotten about that. "…I just realized that…If we put Harley and Quinn together we get…"

"Joker, **please**…let's focus on these."

The clown shut his mouth but didn't stop grinning at his doctor who now had a frustrated look on her face. She used to be made fun of all the time…all because of that ridiculous name of hers. And now she was closed in a room with that…that psychotic clown who'd never let her forget about how horrendous her name was. But the Joker didn't seem to have finished yet. "Aw, c'mon Doctor Quinn…Rorschach cards are such a cliché. Nobody really _sees_ anything in those random stains. They just say the first word that pops up just to be over with it." Her eyebrows furrowed slightly while she looked down at the card between her hands. Could he be right? But the blond did see a familiar shape in one of the cards.

She gazed at her patient with a disapproving look and shook her head slightly. "It's not always like that..." Harleen said with a calm tone. The green haired man licked the corner of his lips while crossing his leg over the other. "So go ahead, Doc. Tell me…" His dark eyes narrowed, like he was trying to see through Harley. "…What is it that you see?" Quinzel furrowed her eyebrows at The Joker and looked down at the card, her blue eyes staring at it filled with attention. There it was. The same picture she'd seen a few minutes ago…

"A Scarecrow."

She said with a calm tone. Joker's grin seemed larger than ever now and his head titled slightly to the side while examining her expression carefully. "Oh, really?" He said, in an amazingly non-sarcastic tone his eyes blinking a couple of times in amazement. Harley looked at him with an unsure look, like a kid, waiting to know if her answer was right. "Well that's a coincidence." The doctor sat on the edge of her seat, looking at her patient with curious eyes. "What? What are you talking about?" Her tone was jumpy.

She was dying to know what a scarecrow could tell about her. And in this excitement, Harleen did not notice how The Joker seemed to lick his lips in delight. "Oh, I don't know if we should be having this conversation Doc. It's terribly…unprofessional." Harley gave a small sigh of annoyance. She _had_ been kind of unprofessional lately. Harley was aware of that. She should be trying to understand her patient, to try to help him. But it seemed more like he was the one trying to understand her. Trying to help her. "Please, Joker…I'd like to know what you're talking about."

The green haired man seemed to chuckle under his breath sitting back on his chair and helplessly rolling his eyes. "Oh, alright." He turned his head to Harleen whose eyes were wide open, like that would help her to hear him better. "I guess you've heard it on the news…There was this guy who thought it would be kind _of amusing_ to wear a potato sack over his face and go around spreading fear over poor and innocent people. Thanks to that chap Gotham City was almost erased from the map! Criminals ran free, friends fought against each other, parents tried to poke their son's eyes out…It was total **chaos**!" The clown man stopped for a moment, his eyes wide open in outrage.

But that outraged face slowly turned into a little satisfied smile. "Ah, that day was just like Christmas for me..." Harleen's eyebrow furrowed in disagreement while staring at her patient who licked the corners of his lips and continued. "But anyway, the party is crashed by the Batman, as usual, and the plan fails. Our beloved Scarecrow gets caught, his identity is spilled all over the city and he ends up here in Arkham…yeah because no sane man would walk around wearing a potato sack over their head…even I think that's a ridiculous idea." The Joker said with a small chuckle at the end. Harleen gave a small sigh, her eyes closing for a couple of seconds. "Is this going anywhere, Joker?"

"Wait, wait, here's the good part…This scarecrow guy, turns out to be a pretty important guy out there. Turns out he was once a doctor…just like you Quinny!" Harleen narrowed her eyes and the Joker licked his lips, trying to keep himself from showing all of his yellow teeth. "It turns out he was once a perfectly sane and serious fellow who treated and medicated Arkham freaks every single day. But one day, this man just decides that he's sick and tired of society. He decides that…Gotham needs a good wake up call. And in a snap, he's wearing a straight jacket, like this one." The Joker said while looking down at the tight and white jacket he wore, keeping him from moving his arms and hands. Harley's lower lip trembled slightly.

"Wu…What was his name?"

The Joker gazed at his doctor only by moving his eyes. Harleen was afraid she already knew what he'd answer. Something inside her knew what the joke's punch line was. But Harleen refused to say it out loud. She refused to believe in it. She wanted him to say it. She wanted him to put her out of her misery. But The Joker wasn't merciful or kind. He'd open that old wound of hers and press his thumb against it with all his strength. "Oh…What was his name again? Jonathan Brain? Plain…?Maybe it was Colane?" Harleen's blue eyes seemed to now be filled with tears. Although they didn't run down her cheeks, her patient seemed terribly blurry and shapeless. He was going to force her to speak his name.

"Crane?"

Her voice was almost like a squeak, and it seemed to make The Joker's smile grow wider once he turned his head in her direction. "Yes! That's it! Good ol' Doctor Jonathan Crane…ah, he's a nice kid…a little creepy though." He sneered when saying that last sentence. And after a small moment of silence he decided to gaze at his doctor. The Joker licked his lips when seeing his doctor, pale as a ghost, staring down at the floor with wide open eyes. Jonathan…she knew him so well…he was such an intelligent and calm man. And now he was a psychotic criminal who wore a god damned potato sack over his head! How had this happened?

"A friend of yours, Dr. Quin?"

First he chuckled softly looking away from her, then it began to grow into laughter and soon a hysterical laugh would fill the entire room. It was the same laughter he'd arrived with. He knew…he already knew. Since the beginning of that session…he knew everything about Harleen and Jonathan. He'd talked to Crane…he knew their story. Harleen's hands shook nervously and tried to cover her ears, tried to block that mocking laughter. Her eyes closed tightly. How could he take control of the situation so easily? How could she never predict what he was going to do next? But the laughter didn't stop. It echoed inside her head and made every inch of her body hurt.

It didn't matter if he liked it. It didn't matter if he got a boner every time she punched him in the face. That clown was going down! The blond got up from her chair in a quick jump and knocked the clown out of his chair, making him fall on the floor. Her hands grabbed his straight jacket tightly and shook him with all of her strengths, trying to keep herself from punching or kicking him. "You son of a bitch!" She cried out, angry tears running down her cheeks. But The Joker didn't stop laughing, not for one single second. "Why, Doctor Quinzel...If you wanted to be on top all you had to do was ask." He said between his laughter. Harleen closed her eyes tightly, a mix of anger and shame running through her veins. It was only then that she realized she was sitting on top of him...

She hated that man. She really did. How could a person be so cruel, so manipulative…so unpredictable? Suddenly Harleen gave up on trying to hurt him. Her hands rested on his chest and her head hung from her neck while she felt tears running down her cheeks. Damn it. Where was rational and professional Harleen when she needed her? Only a few moments ago she was telling him how he shouldn't tolerate the guards' violent behaviour and now…now she was literally in an abusive position…Harleen almost laughed at that thought…but she was too angry and nostalgic to even smile. Damn it. Damn that clown and that session. Damn Jonathan.

The Joker laid there, looking at his sobbing doctor with two lazy eyes, his tongue licking the corners of his lips once again. "Well this is kinda awkward." He mumbled while arching one of his eyebrows. He finally decided to sit up, giving a small upset sigh while looking down at the blond woman who cried helplessly, still sitting on his legs. Harleen didn't care. She couldn't have control of that session, nor of her life…and that was tearing her brain apart. This man was driving her **insane**! And Harleen could bet he was having a blast by doing that. "Poor and helpless Doctor Quinzel. Looks like you're having a really hard time dealing with all this_ insanity_."

Harleen kept her eyes shut while her head hung from her neck, the tears seemed to slowly stop falling, but The Joker quickly licked his lips and looked up at the ceiling, like he was seeking for inspiration. "You know…_if_ you were a sane woman, you'd do what most sane women do in a situation like the one you're in…" The green haired man got closer to Harleen so his scarred lips would be near her ear. Like he was going to tell her a secret. Harley could feel his cold breath against her ear…she could almost feel his skin touching hers. And yet she didn't dare to move. "…You'd go mad."

The doctor slowly lifted her head so she could look at her patient's face who stared at her eyes with a blank expression. And even if he was serious, the scars on his face made it look like he was always smiling. Harley furrowed her blond eyebrows while staring at the man's face. Could he have done those marks to himself? If he did make those then he should be so depressed and tired. Just like she was. Her thumb gently pressed against the right corner of his mouth and calmly fallowed the mark that scarred his right cheek. Jonathan had gone insane…so what kept her from doing the same thing? What kept her from sticking a blade in her mouth and doing that to herself?

The clown criminal gazed down at her face, his eyes filled with a mix of attention and something else Harleen didn't recognize. For a moment she simply sat there, staring at his scars while he stared at her. It was only when the Joker's tongue licked the corners of his lips out of habit that Harleen woke up. Her blue eyes widened and she quickly looked at her patient who cleared his throat. "Just a heads up, Doc., no tongue on the first date." And right after he said that, a large yellow smile came up fallowed by a small chuckle. That was a wake up call for Harleen who quickly slapped the clown across the face and got up, cleaning the non-existing dust off her clothing. She gave a cold glare at her patient while grabbing her things. "This session is over." And she walked out of the room, letting the Joker just lay there on the ground rolling his eyes while shaking his head slightly while the two guards walked into the room and forced him to get up on his feet.

"…Tch, women…"

* * *

Sorry it took so long people. I ran out of muse for this chapter for a while…

As for sanmi's last review, you're right, Jonathan has nothing of sensitive or supportive. Harleen is just more naïve and innocent than she looks like! And, believe me, Crane's gonna show how 'sensitive' and 'supportive' he can be –wink wink nudge nudge-.  
Anyway, thank you so so much for all the reviews, the more I get the more I want to write! :-)


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